Interpretive field geomorphology as cognitive, social, embodied and affective epistemic practice.

This article examines the epistemic practices of interpretive field geomorphology—that is, the in‐the‐moment act of "seeing the landscape" geomorphologically. Drawing on the philosophical works of Wittgenstein and Merleau‐Ponty, it aims to bring to light the complex, multi‐dimensional, knowledge‐producing process of field observation and interpretation. Methodologically the study is based on geomorphologists' accounts of their fieldwork, gathered through questionnaire and interviews. By paying attention to what geomorphologists say they are doing in the field, interpretive field geomorphology is articulated as a combined cognitive, social, embodied, and affective experience through which understanding is arrived at. The paper thus sheds light on one part of what Brierley et al. call "the dark art" of geomorphological interpretation, and draws out implications in terms of researcher positionality, researcher training, and offering an epistemic justification for field‐based pedagogies. Key messages: Interpretive field geomorphology is an epistemic practice entailing social, bodily, and affective dimensions.Researcher positionality includes prior experience of interpreting landscapes and doing so with others.Field experience contributes to both development of skill in geomorphological interpretation and development of understanding, which is more than just cognitive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]